It is greatest to believeand to hope well of the world,
because he who does so quits the world,and makes the world he lives in.—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today these qualities are recognized as super skills in the fast-paced world of corporate business. While it is a welcome thing that they are becoming more valued in corporate culture, it seems quite ludicrous that we had to wait for scientists and psychologists to tell us that emotional intelligence is a desirable human trait for success in the corporate world. Was it ever not a truism?

Such traits are neither highly evolved nor worthy of praise. In fact, they form our basic human duty to one another, and have been described in the human codes of conduct laid down over the centuries in all cultures: the eightfold path of Buddhism, the Sutras of Yoga, the Quran, the Bible, the Talmud, and many other indigenous codes. They remind us of the need for harmony, brotherhood and peace, which are at the foundation of functioning human society, and yet the world today is still plagued by conflict and inequality.

One solution is simply to cultivate these traits to get to first base, but I feel that we need to aim higher – we are setting the bar too low. Peaceful coexistence is not enough. We need to explore a deeper level of collective consciousness, and that is the realm of synergy and symbiosis. Synergy is when together we produce a combined effect that is greater than the sum of what we can do separately. In synergy we amplify and magnify each other. Like in physics, when two waves interact they can either amplify each other or dampen each other. When they vibrate at the same frequency, in phase with one another, they amplify each other, creating a wave that is greater than either wave on its own. When they are out of phase with one another, they may cancel each other out.

Synergy is when together we produce a combined effect
that is greater than the sum of what we can do separately.
In synergy we amplify and magnify each other.
Like in physics, when two waves interact they can
either amplify each other or dampen each other.
When they vibrate at the same frequency,
in phase with one another, they amplify each other,
creating a wave that is greater than either wave on its own.

Can we use this analogy to understand how to amplify each other when we work together in teams? Actually, the positive and the negative can both happen to great effect. For example, what happens when we amplify each other’s talents and skills, and neutralize each other’s weaknesses? Unfortunately, all too often we amplify each other’s weaknesses by judging and finding fault, and nullify each other’s talents and skills by harping on criticism. Which of these scenarios is evolutionary?

What is required for us to grow together and support each other to thrive? What will it take for us to recognize and nurture the genius in one another? Each of us does have a particular genius that can either develop or be squashed. And for humanity to really flourish, the genius of each individual piece of the human jigsaw puzzle must blossom and flourish. The consciousness that promotes development and synergy has been so beautifully expressed by Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur in the words, “There is nothing wrong in thinking that you are great, but always think that the other person is greater.”

Another practice that I have found really works in nurturing synergy and symbiosis is to always focus on the potential in others rather than their manifest limitations. Trust the potential in others. Keep that goal as something tangible. It works with children’s education, and it also works with adults. They feel honored and supported by your thoughts.

Also, trust the potential within yourself. The ripple effect will work then. How to trust your own potential? That is where meditation comes into the picture – the more you uncover your inner potential, the easier it is to trust it and let it shine forth. We help ourselves to set the bar higher and higher all the time, and then we can help each other to do the same. It is one big positive feedback loop!